ShawneeDispatch.com

Size isn’t at a premium for the Shawnee Mission Northwest girls, but the Cougars are finding early in the season that the bigger their opponents are — at least tradition-wise — the harder they fall.

Fresh off of an upset victory against Shawnee Mission West in the season-opener, Northwest toppled Smithville (Mo.), 52-36, on Tuesday night.

It was the second straight victory for the Cougars against an opponent that won more than 20 games last season and played in a state championship game.

“Smithville is a very well-coached and talented team,” SMNW coach Jeff Dickson said. “They won 25 games last year, and we completely respect their kids and their program. We were able to get off to a great start that really carried us throughout the game. Great balanced, unselfish scoring by the girls really helped carry the day.”

Northwest opened the game on a 15-4 run and never looked back. Katie Biggers and Jessica Johnson each drained early 3-pointers, and McKayla Ross scored six points and Mia Woodward had five as SMNW built a 17-4 lead after eight minutes.

Northwest added to its lead in the second quarter and led by double-digits at halftime.

Smithville didn’t mount a serious charge until early in the fourth quarter when it closed to within nine, but a quick 5-0 run helped the Cougars regain control.

Ross finished with 15 points, Sarah Schmidt had 11, Woodward scored seven, Biggers scored six and Johnson finished with five points. Also for the Cougars, Meghan McCluskey scored three points, Amanda Hoelting had two and Kristina Purinton chipped in one.

Northwest (2-0) next plays Thursday against Shawnee Mission North at SMNW.

“We still have a very tough stretch for us before Christmas, so we will be back in the gym working hard tomorrow,” Dickson said.

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